March 23, 2007
WINSTON-SALEM, NC - The Winston-Salem State University football family got a little larger with the hiring of Nick Calcutta as the team's offensive coordinator on Thursday. With more than 20 years of coaching experience, Calcutta has helped guide some of the nation's best collegiate programs.
"Nick is a great addition to what we are doing here at Winston-Salem State," Winston-Salem State head football coach Kermit Blount said. "With him joining the staff, it will take a lot of the burden off of what I had to do last year [serving as Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator]. He is definitely going to make our offense more efficient."
Calcutta most recently completed his second stint with the Howard Bison where he was the offensive line coach for the Bison, the third best rushing offense in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference last season. In addition to Howard, Calcutta also had coaching stints at South Carolina State, Buffalo, Tennessee State, Southern Illinois, Memphis, Delaware State, and Savannah State. Winston-Salem State is the 12th collegiate coaching staff for Calcutta, including a pair of tours of duty at Howard.
Calcutta's addition will definitely help a Rams team that averaged 265 yards per game and 16.9 points per game last season. It was WSSU head coach Kermit Blount who had to handle offensive duties in 2006 in addition to his other duties last season.
This will mark the third time that Calcutta and Blount are on the same staff as the two were both members of coaching staffs at South Carolina State and at Howard.
"I have worked with Nick several times throughout the course of my career," Blount added. "We helped to revive the program at Howard in the early 80's and then moved to South Carolina State and had some good years there before we split and ventured on our separate ways. I am very excited about having him back and getting to work with him again."
The Rams are in spring practice right now and will open the 2007 season at home when they take on the North Carolina A&T Aggies in a September 1, 2007 season opener.
